No water again: root cutters to blame

Yesterday and today the root cutters are out - we in the Ruscombe Brook Action Group have been wanting to see them - Severn Trent earlier this year did more CCTV work in the local sewers and discovered more roots had grown since last year into the pipes.

When they cut the roots afterwards they flush it clean with water - their monster tank takes a while to fill so for the last couple of days we keep loosing water for 40 mins or more at a time here in Bread Street - usually just when you would have loved to have done the washing up?

At first we couldn't work out what was happening with the water - a phone call to Severn Trent produced disbelief that water really wasn't running - then apparently 5 people from Bread Street phoned - still they had no answer - it was only when we relaised the root cutters were there that we put two and two together....

Photo: Fox I virtually tripped over as I walked down - he was as startled as I was - woken from his sleep in the sun

Anyhow I scrambled down to find the workmen and was able to see water running clear in some of the drains - great stuff - I also was shown their schedule - they will be cutting a lot of the way up to the fire station - or at least where they can gain access - a lot is only minor growth ie in places 15% of the circumference - but there are also several places with 40% growth - most of this will grow on the upper half of the inside of the pipe so water can still flow but clearly if not removed then we get a storm and pressures build - it is probably this that led to manholes blowing and the old sewer pipe bridge collapsing.